Lips and Fingertips

Life is incredibly generous. It gives us each our abilities, perceptions, and experiences, along with endless opportunities to come together and share for our mutual benefit what we have learned. And though we often use this gift as a means to conquer or to otherwise gain some kind of petty advantage, life never changes its attitude towards us. It gives us children; it gives us love; it gives us a universe in which to work, live, and play, and to try to understand. Gratitude is clearly the logical response to this largesse. That we can be so close to living a life of true wealth and happiness, and yet so far, is sad at a glance. But those who do see, and who do cooperate, and who do love each other for all of our similarities and differences, are already living in, and building, such a world. The irony is that it is easier to live this way than it is to lie, manipulate, steal, hate, and bear arms. The beauty, and tragedy, is that worldwide peace and prosperity is literally at our lips and our fingertips. It is not toughness and courage that we most need, but surrender. Without it, justice, freedom, and equality are words in a dream. With it, they will be a gentle reminder of what we once failed to see. Because if I love you and you love me, and we always work to help each other, then we live justice; we live freedom; we live equality. Then, and only then, will those words have fulfilled their missions and meanings. And so I say to myself and to anyone listening, Let go. Give in. Never doubt. Do not be the weak link. Do not be the clever, helpless, world-wise cynic. Love does not fail. It is we who fail to love.

August 28, 2020. Afternoon.

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